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Shaking, she looked down at her ruined dress, tiny drops of blood and dirt splattered everywhere. Even her legs were cut and bleeding from where she’d rushed through thorny bushes while fleeing for her life.
Cordelia took another steadying breath, feeling more mist dissipating until it was gone. Why was it leaving her? Was Ezul okay? She didn’t know what she would do if he was hurt.
Movement out of the corner of her eye drew her attention to the left. Cordelia scrambled up to her feet, looking wildly around, eyes widening in panic.
She was surrounded by a loose circle of men.
None of them were warriors like Ezul, but they were still frightening as they trained their lethal-looking weapons on her. These men, while dressed in black, lacked masks. Not that it mattered, she didn’t recognize anyone.
They were several feet away, but there was no hope Cordelia could outrun them.
How could she have been panicking so much that she didn’t even realize she was being circled?
“I do not wish to harm you,” Vermile called out, parting through the large crowd of Aragnokans and walking toward her.
He looked remarkably well for a cold-blooded murderer, and she glared at him, hoping he knew she thought he was a piece of shit.
Cordelia took a heavy step back, not believing anything that monster had to say. She wiped furiously at her face with the sleeve of her dress, desperate to stop the flow of tears that seemed never-ending.
The real Kylok was alright, but Cordelia was so screwed.
“Stay away from me,” she yelled, knowing even as she said it that he wouldn’t heed her warning. Why would he? All she’d had by her side was a mist that zapped people to protect her, and for some reason, it had just faded completely, leaving Cordelia hopelessly alone.
“I’m afraid I can’t do that Cordelia,” Vermile replied compassionately. She nearly rolled her eyes despite the tremor of fear wracking her body.
Hands shoved her from behind, thrusting her forward. She fell, barely catching herself with her hands and knees as she hit the hard ground.
A rustling of fabric was her only warning that Vermile was near before she was grabbed and yanked up from the ground.
Cordelia cried out, more in shock than from any actual pain, as Vermile dragged her toward the center of the man-made circle, his nails digging into her arm painfully.
“I have no intention of killing you,” Vermile reiterated. “But if you do not do as I command, you will leave me with only one choice.”
“What do you want from me?”
Vermile laughed. “You already know what I want. You and the other human woman, Delilah, give my species hope for a better future.” He shook his head. “But this world is doomed to suffer, to die for all of the atrocities my kind has committed. I cannot stand by and watch you carry out a successful pregnancy.”
“It’s too late,” she told him hotly, regretting the words immediately when he flashed her a chilling smile.
“You’re leaving this planet one way or another, Cordelia. The manner in which you depart is entirely up to you.” He pulled a small silver object free from his robes.
“What is that?” Her voice cracked, and she squeezed her eyes shut, already knowing the answer.
It was the key to go home.
“I’ve already set the coordinates for Earth. You should arrive on land somewhere, though the logistics are hard to get just right from so far away.” He shrugged. “Hopefully you are not afraid of water as I hear it encompasses your world.”
“No! I’m not leaving!” Cordelia flailed in his hold, screaming. Vermile grunted, slapping her hard across the face. She cried out, her cheek stinging from the blow.
“You will stop your incessant crying at once,” Vermile snarled, the placating mask he’d been wearing slipping away in an instant. “You can either take the key and leave Aragnok, never to return, or you and your child can both greet Arombk in the next life.”
Her breath caught in her throat, more tears sliding down her face. “Why even give me the option?” she asked on a trembling breath.
Vermile shook her like a ragdoll until her crying stopped, her head whipping back and forth from the force. “I may kill when necessary but I take no joy in the act. Our population deserves extinction, but I’ll do you the courtesy of attempting to raise an alien baby on your own planet. I can’t imagine it will live long without being dissected and studied, but I would at least give you the option of holding your own child at least once.”
“You’re sick,” Cordelia cried. He was certifiable and completely delusional. A madman who refused to see reason. How could she fight back against that?
What choice did she have? Stay here and die, or leave and try to survive? Even though she knew a life without Ezul would feel like a fate worse than death.
